owers, Chi Jingyuan couldn't help but burst into laughter.After watching EXO's stage, Ji Kyeong-won and the members said goodbye to them after they went back to the resting room, and the rest didn't c...Back in the backstage lounge, several members had already returned and were chatting. 池景源 nodded slightly before taking a seat on the sofa. He held the wrapped gift box that Zhou Tzuyu had given him goodbye earlier, turning it over in his hands and examining it.

The box was only the size of a hand, with a light blue background. A yellow ribbon was crisscrossed on top, and a butterfly knot was tied at the very top. There were also some sparkly rhinestones or similar decorations attached to the side. I don't know where they got this packaging from, but it was quite delicate.

It's a bit feminine and childish.

Based on the size, it's probably a toy figurine or something similar.

For a normal birthday, you should give something not too expensive but thoughtful, something the other person would like. If you're just ordinary acquaintances and give something too expensive, it might make the other person feel burdened. So, when Pool Jingyuan gives gifts to friends, he always pays attention to controlling the price. Besides the earring he gave to Bae Joo-hyeon last time, the others weren't very valuable things.

But when it comes to receiving gifts, he actually hopes for the same thing.

He glanced at the gift box and then put it in his backpack, preparing to open it back at the dormitory. Because of his birthday, he had received a lot of gifts recently. Not to mention the piles of presents sent by fans all over the world that could fill a room, just the small gifts from friends in the industry expressing their goodwill and strengthening their relationship were numerous.

At the beginning, I was quite surprised to receive them. However, as I received more and more, the excitement faded. Now, except for gifts from close friends, I'm rather reluctant to open the rest.

After a while, all of EXO came back. Looking at their faces, they seemed to be in very good spirits. Everyone made some quick adjustments and soon the group followed the director and staff to start a meeting about today's first performance.

This kind of small meeting basically happens every time after a performance ends. Besides checking if there were any problems with today's performance, like the lighting, choreography, and whether the pyrotechnics and props were well-coordinated, sometimes they also make minor adjustments to the flow of the subsequent concerts. Sometimes, different shows will have variations in the songs performed or even the versions.

For example, the new song "dropthat" which hasn't been released yet was performed today. During the recording process, two versions of the Korean version were recorded alone. Besides Ji-seong's version, there is also a version by Jong-dae for the most eye-catching three consecutive high notes part. It is also expected to be performed in subsequent performances.

After everything was finished, I cleaned up and went back to the company. I kept working until very late before it was finally over.

…………

"...Bang."

With a muffled thud, the gull-wing door on the passenger side of the car swung open. A petite figure quickly scrambled in, burying her head inside and then plopping herself onto the chair with one foot planted and the other sweeping back, twisting her hips as she did. She slightly raised her torso, stretching her arms to try and pull the door closed, but suddenly felt a bit awkward realizing it was just a little out of reach. She paused for a moment, then discreetly used her legs to push herself upwards, inching a little higher. Her hand finally reached the handle, firmly gripping it before abruptly slamming the door shut.

As soon as the door opened, some scattered and chaotic noises outside were immediately shut out. Pei Zhuxuan, who had just sat down, had a satisfied expression in her eyes. She casually took off her hat and mask, turning her head to look over with wide eyes: "Why are you here so late... What are you looking at"

After she sat down, she discovered that the person beside her was still staring at their phone without even raising their head. She couldn't help but take the initiative to ask a question.

...than what Chi Jingyuan had expected. Just discussing and planning for the performance took a long time, and afterward, they all got together for a meal to celebrate. By the time everything was finished, it was almost midnight.

He went back, put his things away and told his manager, changed his clothes and drove to the Red Velvet dormitory.

Actually, for over three years since their debut, most EXO members have had partners. It's common for them to disappear or sneak out on dates. The agency is well aware of this, but by now, the company's attitude has eased a lot. They basically don't strictly regulate dating anymore, just reminding them to be careful and not get caught.

It's pretty understanding... or maybe they know what's asked and can't control it.

Ji Jingyuan specially found a secluded alley with little traffic and stopped there. He sent a message to Pei Zhuxuan, who he had made an appointment with earlier, telling her the address, then made a phone call and hung up after two rings. The other party tacitly hung up as well. Ten minutes later, he saw her in disguise, head bowed, entering his line of sight.

Even from afar, his figure and gait were unmistakable. Just one glance was enough to recognize him.

"Well... Pd talked a bit too much during the meeting, and then there was a team dinner just now, so it's hard to refuse."

Although it was getting late, Bae Joo-hyun was still full of energy with every move and sound. Her tone was upbeat, showing that she was in a good mood. After hearing her question, Park Ji-won briefly explained without looking up. He remained bowed down, his fingers quickly tapping on the screen while saying, "Replying to some text messages. My friends sent birthday wishes."

Given your popularity, I'm sure many people have been wishing you well, right

"About the same, quite a lot."

Qi Jingyuan nodded to indicate that she was right.

Although he isn't particularly well-connected compared to some people, he has made quite a few friends over the years since his debut. He knows many seniors from the same company, for example, Yoona senior was very thoughtful and sent a message to congratulate him.

Ji Jingyuan remembers that his sister was still filming a TV drama in Xia Guo at this time. It seems to have started at the beginning of the year, and after so long, he doesn't know if it has finished filming yet. Besides, Girls' Generation is also preparing for a new album comeback. The fact that his sister can remember his birthday amidst her busy schedule really makes people feel touched.

Although I don't know if it was her manager reminding her...

When this "Martial God Zhao Zilong" is officially aired, he'll definitely stay glued to the broadcast and contribute his part, allowing unnie to shed the label of "ratings poison" sooner. He hopes that with this drama, she can completely open up the mainland market and become a huge success!

Whoa!

Besides IU, there are quite a few other people who have already received and replied to the greetings for the day. As this moment, he is actually chatting with someone else...

After sending a few emojis, Ji Jingyuan drew a line across the interface of his conversation with Minami and directly locked his screen. He then casually placed his phone on the dashboard and turned to look at Park Ji-hyun.

It seems that because the temperature dropped at night, she was wearing a white long-sleeved top with a loose and elongated style. The large English logos on her chest were folded up because of her sitting position. Her hands emerged halfway from the wide and thick sleeves, with several soft fingertips looking quite delicate.

The top is a bit thick.

The long sleeves extended all the way to mid-thigh, covering most of the shorts underneath. The reflection of white light and the color of the clothes intertwined, and at the deepest point of sight, one could see a pair of deep blue flats. Perhaps for fashion or convenience, she had deliberately pressed the heel down, revealing a somewhat blurry ankle.

Her deep brown hair was slightly tousled and hung loosely on either side of her face. Two bright yellow clips held it back, adding a playful touch. She seemed to have just washed her face as she only had a light layer of moisturizer on. While not as delicately sculpted as when she was dressed up for the stage or camera, her complexion was fair and invitingly soft, making one want to pinch her cheeks. Compared to the glamorous persona she projected on stage, this unguarded look felt much more authentic, with even tiny freckles visible on her face. The car's interior light reflected in her pupils, sparkling like stars. Her eyes crinkled at the corners as a smile played on her lips, further enhancing her lively and cheerful aura.

What a lovely and vivacious young lady from the year 1991.

Chi Jingyuan caught sight of her gaze and met her eyes, his gaze unflinching as he took her in from head to toe. He lightly sniffed the faint fragrance that had been emanating from her since she entered, then smiled and blinked, asking, "Why are you dressed so beautifully"

"Do you have it..."

Ji Jingyuan's straightforward praise caused Pei Zhuxuan's eyebrows to twitch. However, she didn't seem very happy and questioned back with a doubtful tone that seemed dismissive. At the same time, she skillfully pulled open the sunshade glass, completely unaware of the upward curve of her own mouth. She pretended to gaze at herself in the mirror, raising her chin and looking left and right, then lightly patted her elastic cheek: "I haven't done much makeup, I just washed my face casually before coming out..."

"Isn't it pretty" she asked, turning to look at Ji Jingyuan with a curious expression, hiding a smile. Her whole demeanor was innocent and youthful.

Only after seeing the other person smiling with admiration at her performance did Bae Joo-hyeon finally let go. Her cheeks puffed up slowly, her lips pressed together, and two seconds later, with a "poof," she burst into a hearty and joyful laugh, her eyes sparkling, teeth gleaming, like a blooming flower: “Hahaha…”

From the moment she got in, the atmosphere in the car instantly became more relaxed.

Pei Zhuxuan laughed happily. Many people praised her for being beautiful, especially since her debut, she often heard compliments like this. Whether it was from netizens, fans, or even people she knew, after hearing them repeatedly, she had become numb and didn't feel anything anymore.

But the same praise coming from different people has a completely different effect. It's possible that others she might just brush it off, but when this person says it to her, she feels especially happy inside.

"It's a shame, a smile ruins it..."

Even though Chi Jingyuan's disgruntled grumbles followed close behind, she wasn't bothered at all when she heard them. She just gave him a reproachful look, pushed back a strand of hair on her left side, revealing the gleaming sunflower earrings on her earlobes.

"What excuse did they come up with" Chi Jingyuan looked at her laughing happily, and he also shook his head and smiled, then after the sound fell, he took the initiative to ask.

It was said to be a date celebrating his birthday, but in reality, it was just sitting in the car for a while and chatting. As a star, especially a popular artist, private meetings between men and women are so rushed and cautious.

In fact, Ji Jingyuan also has places where he can be more open and relaxed when meeting, but it's a bit late now. He has very important work tomorrow, and their relationship hasn't reached that stage yet.

"There's no excuse, we haven't been as strict about following the agency's rules lately since we're not in our comeback period. We haven't been back to the dorm these past few days. I just told Seungkwan and came down..."

What is he saying

“I’m not going to tell you, anyway, I didn’t come to find you. But I think she definitely noticed, …And we were just talking about you a moment ago, by the way…”

>

Saying that, Bae Joo-hyun picked up the canvas bag she had just put beside her. She took out two things in succession from it: one was a package that looked a bit like a jewelry box, and the other was a hat: "Didn't I say I would return your hat I looked for a long time but couldn't find a suitable Pokémon style, so I bought a Doraemon one. I don't know if you..."

Before she could finish, Ji Jingyuan snatched the hat and put it on, pulling down the visor to take a look. He smiled and nodded. "Not bad. How did you know I've been particularly fond of Doraemon lately..."

Seeing the other person like this, Bae Joo-hyun relaxed and smiled brightly. She then handed over another wrapped jewelry box.

She watched as Ji Jingyuan opened the jewelry box. A pair of earrings inside caught her eye, causing a flicker of unease in her gaze. After biting her lip, she took the initiative to speak.

"And this earring... I know you don't like wearing jewelry, but I still wanted to buy it for you..."

As someone very close to him, Bae Ju-hyeon knows that Ji Chang-wook doesn't like wearing flashy jewelry like this, whether on stage or in private.

She was just a little bit uneasy because the gift he had given her for her birthday before was quite valuable. While she was very happy and loved it, she also felt a little uneasy. Even though Red Velvet wasn't as successful financially as Pool Jingyuan and EXO, she still wanted to give him a gift of similar value in return.

And she really likes the style of this earring.

Ji Jingyuan opened it and took a look. It was a crescent-shaped small earring, similar to the one Pei Zhuxuan was wearing on her ear at the moment. Only the shapes of the sun and moon were exactly opposite each other. He glanced at it and immediately understood the other party's meaning.

"Thank you..."

As if he understood the other person's intentions, Ji Jingyuan smiled and took it over, carefully examining it for a while, then closed the lid. Facing Bae Joo-hyeon's expectant gaze, he raised his eyes and thought for a moment before not evading: "I don't really like wearing earrings, I haven't even had my ears pierced..."

He didn't seem to see PJH slightly squeeze his hand. He paused for a second then continued, "But I do wear jewelry like rings and bracelets sometimes, it really just depends on who gave them to me."

Pei Zhuhyun became worried that the other party wouldn't be satisfied with the gift, her mood fluctuating. However, after hearing what came next, her eyes lit up, as if she understood something.

"That's great, thank you."

"Qi Jingyuan sincerely thanked him again, put the gift away, and suddenly changed his expression, looking a little disappointed: 'Although I like it, I was thinking before I came that there would be some other more special gifts.'"

"A special gift" Her thoughts were pulled away by the other person's sudden change of topic. At this moment, Pei Zhuxuan seemed to not have reacted yet, blinking in confusion.

"What about, 'what is a gift to oneself, giving a true love's kiss,' kind of thing Doesn't that sound romantic"

"Oh, have you been watching too many idol romance dramas" Pei Zhuxuan couldn't help but chuckle and laugh. She looked at Ji Jingyuan, who was deliberately making a naive expression, with a helpless gaze. She frowned slightly, as if she were a little disgusted.

"I haven't just watched it, I've acted in it myself." He shrugged, feigning innocence: "That's how it's done, the audience loves it."

"Tch, who in reality would do something like that, and besides..."

Pei Zhuxuan pursed her lips, as if she wanted to say something, but stopped herself. After a moment's pause, she changed the subject: "And besides, wait until after your next concert when you have time to take your family and friends backstage to visit before talking about it."

Finally, she brought up the meeting with Tzuyu. Ji-yeong knew that this sister always appeared so nonchalant on the surface, but there was a lot going on behind her polite facade.

Although she doesn't like to show these emotions, even when facing the members of her group, she tends to hide them less when alone with Jiyeong in private.

"When it comes to talking about Tzuyu, he still gets a little speechless. He leaned back in his chair and sighed: 'If it were someone else, like Suzy Bae, it wouldn't be such a big deal. She's just a little girl, why does it feel like you're talking about my girlfriend'"

"A little girl How old is she" Pei Joo-hyeon didn't really have any particular feelings about Zhou Tzuyu, and she didn't want to interfere with Park Ji-sung's own social interactions.

She only saw the opponent wearing a Poké Ball hat that was very similar to her imagination. At that moment, she felt a strange feeling in her heart because, in Irene's mind, the Squirtle hat given to her by Park Ji-sung represented the complete experience of their relationship from acquaintance to intimacy, holding an extremely special position.

But the other party has one that is exactly the same, only the pattern is different.

"From 1999," Chi Jingyuan blurted out without thinking, "He was still a little kid."

“That’s not the same size as Yelin’s, and who said that someone born in 1999 is still a child…” Upon hearing this, Bae Joo-hyun couldn't help but glance at him: “Don't you know girls mature early At thirteen or fourteen years old, they already know what it means to like someone. Not to mention that someone born in 1999 is already seventeen this year, and they’ve been training as an idol and even participated in a program preparing for their debut. Not to mention they're exposed to people like you…”

She didn't finish her sentence, but her meaning was very clear.

"How is that possible..." As soon as Chi Jingyuan heard this, he laughed and waved his hand dismissively, as if he didn't care at all.

After blurting out the sentence, he suddenly hesitated. He didn't continue speaking afterwards.

Because her own experiences in school taught her that what Pei Zhuxuan said was correct, but Zhou Tzuyu's image as a little kid in his heart was deeply rooted. That silly smile and the often-timid look made him rarely associate with this idea.

Recalling the scenes from when they were together, Ji Jingyuan pondered silently in his heart.

It shouldn't be a problem...

Without revealing that she had obviously gone back to look up Tzuyu's information on Naver after they met, even knowing about how hard Tzuyu fought to debut, Ji-won suddenly didn't want to talk about the topic anymore. He took off his Doraemon hat and examined it for a moment before bringing up something they had talked about earlier: "Speaking of which, when are you going to return my hat"

Jennie seemed to have caught on to the other person's thoughts and didn't continue talking.

He only frowned after hearing what he said next: "It was when we were walking last time, don't you remember"

"Forgot it." Chi Jingyuan put the gift away and shrugged, indicating he had no recollection.

He had completely forgotten, in fact.

"You... forget it..."

Obviously a little displeased, Pei Zhuxuan twitched the corner of her mouth and gave him an annoyed look.

She remembered everything about their time together, every word Ji Jingyuan had said. She would occasionally bring it up to reminisce, but the other person seemed so indifferent. It was really infuriating.

But when this topic was mentioned, she seemed to suddenly become interested. Her displeasure vanished as quickly as it appeared, and a spark lit up in her eyes. She turned her head to look at the person beside her: "By the way, you... why did you make me wear your hat that day"

That chance encounter by the river was the beginning of their acquaintance and the start of everything. If it weren't for that day when a rubber duck hat was placed on her head, perhaps so many things wouldn't have happened afterwards, and the subsequent "Go with the Flow" would naturally have been lost to the mists of time.

"Why...”

Suddenly bringing up this matter from two years ago, Ji Jingyuan couldn't quite remember it. He raised his eyes and thought about it carefully, then looked at the other person's curious and expectant gaze, pursed his lips after a moment of hesitation, and said, "It should be... because you were crying too pitifully..."

"Is that all" Pei Zhuxuan said with some disappointment, her voice filled with a hint of anticlimax. She had been waiting half the day for this answer and it felt anything but romantic.

"So, what do you think Why are people saying that because you're good-looking"

"No way"

"You cried so much your nose was running all over your face, and your clothes were covered in it. Thinking back on it now, it's actually quite cute, jjia one plop!"

"Ah, Chi Jingyuan!" An angry voice came, accompanied by the thud of stomping feet.

"A hat is just a symbol, really. What matters most is that we happened to be in the same place at the same time. You know, I don't usually like to go for random walks, and who would have thought that day I was just bored and didn't feel like going back to the dorm And then I just happened to run into a senior who was crying her eyes out..."

Ji Jingyuan immediately saw what she was thinking. She seemed to want to add a more romantic touch to the two people's first meeting, but Pei Zhuxuan had chosen the wrong direction.

He let out a breath and didn't even look at the persistently staring Jennie. He lazily shook his head and said, "So to speak, that day was really a coincidence. Thinking about it, it's just like a TV drama... We happened to meet so coincidentally, and some of our private interactions are even more outrageous than idol dramas. I don't know where you got such a high attitude, yet you look down on idol dramas..."

Although Ji-sung's voice was a bit lazy, it suddenly made Joo-hyuk silent. Her deep eyes seemed to become a little hazy, as if she remembered something from the past.

Looking back now, the scene was indeed just as Chi Jingyuan said. From our first meeting to our chance encounter by the river and that hat, to all the times we spent together after that, it felt like a real-life TV drama. Every moment, every step, seemed like it was meticulously crafted by the best screenwriter possible.

It's a coincidence so beautiful, it’s unbelievable.

She suddenly felt a strong sense of destiny and sweet fate filling the air, and they had always been there from beginning to end, she just discovered it now.

A jolt of excitement surged through me, a tingling warmth that spread throughout my body.

After ten seconds of silence, Ji Jingyuan was curious about what had happened. Did he hit the other person's sore spot As he turned his head to check on them, Pei Zhuxuan, at some point, changed her sitting position. She slightly leaned sideways, lifting her originally straight legs and stacking them together on one side. The curves outlined a slender, dark shadow.

She half-turned her body, reaching out from the wide sleeves to rub her chin. She tilted her head, her nostrils trembling slightly, and her sparkling eyes gazed directly into his. She gently bit her lower lip, and her gaze inexplicably became alluring.

"You're right..."

"Idol dramas are actually... pretty good..."

What do you think

First published on the Chinese Novel NetworkKiyoi, whose practice time was the shortest in the group, scanned the room with his eyes, blinked once, then chuckled and nodded. After a brief moment of thought, he said, “I joined the company last,...